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Chapter 2 - Part 4 - Qualities And Drawbacks - Section A
Acute/Impaired Senses 2-POINT QUALITY OR 1-POINT/2-POINT DRAWBACK Some people have the eyes of a hawk, or the ears of a bat—kind of yucky when you think about it. Others are near-sighted, hard of hearing or otherwise impaired. Characters with this Quality have one sense that is more (or less, if it’s a Drawback) refined and sensitive than the rest. Normally, the senses are represented by the Perception Attribute. Acute or Impaired Senses indicate one or more are higher or lower than normal for a person with that Perception Attribute. When choosing this Quality, pick Vision, Hearing, Smell/Taste, or Touch. When bought as a Quality, an Acute Sense provides a +3 bonus to any Perception-related roll that relies on that particular sense. If acquired as a Drawback, Impaired Sense give a similar -3 penalty to Perception-related rolls. Some Impaired Senses (hearing and sight in particular) can be easily corrected by glasses, hearing aids, and similar devices (though no doubt some insensitive high schooler will give you a hard time about it). If the impairment is eliminated by the use of such devices, the Director should reduce the value of the Drawback to one character point. As long as your character’s glasses or hearing aid or whatever is on, she is fine. If, say, a vampire knocks the glasses off, she won’t be able to see very well (Cast Members should probably wear contacts or those spiffy new sport glasses-straps). It is possible to have more than one type of Acute or Impaired Sense, or, for example, to have Acute Hearing and Impaired Eyesight, or a similar combination of senses. For obvious reasons, you cannot select both the Impaired and Acute versions of the same sense (but “duh” for asking). Addiction VARIABLE DRAWBACK Don’t do drugs, kids. You’ve all seen the after-school specials and know the score about addiction. Still, a big component of BtVS is tragedy, and addiction is that in spades. If you want to go there, an addicted character’s gotta have something (drugs, liquor, smokes) and she’s gotta have it bad. A particularly virile form of addiction involves magic. As we saw with Willow in Season Six, magic use can latch onto your character and keep her coming back for more. Now, we’re not suggesting that magic addiction must occur, but it’s certainly something your Director will keep in mind should your character turn to magic as a solution to every problem. Abusing magic, as Willow did, is a sure recipe for the Addiction (Magic) Drawback. What exactly triggers the addiction, and when the cravings worsen is up to your Director. A simple recommendation would be that regular magic use (casting a number of spells equal to or greater than the witch’s Willpower per month) imposes a Willpower (doubled)roll with a -1 penalty per each additional spell that month. Failure creates a one-point Addiction. The Drawback rises in the same manner. A different, and slightly more complex, take on magic addiction can be found in the BtVS RPG Magic Box supplement. For all addictions, the value of this Drawback is determined by the severity of the addiction and the relative effects of the drug or substance. Since this isn’t the Drug Awareness Week Roleplaying Game, we won’t cover all the gory details. Directors should adjudicate the game effects of a “high” on a character. This can range from a small penalty for being slightly “buzzed,” to the complete stupor of a heroin trip. A rough guide would be a penalty equal to the Addiction Point Value of the Drawback (heavy use of marijuana imposes a -3 penalty to all rolls). A drug addict character is often unable to control herself. Whether using magic creates the same “buzz” and penalties is up to your Director. The Addiction Point Value Table gives guidelines for the value of a given type of addiction. Directors should modify these values as desired. Note that the point value can vary depending on how deeply the addiction has taken hold. For example, a magic addiction can vary from one to six, or even higher. When an addicted character hasn’t gotten her usual “fix,” she suffers from debilitating withdrawal symptoms. Most mental actions are at a penalty equal to the value of the Drawback (so, a character with a 2-point Addiction suffers a -2 penalty to most mental actions) until the addict can get what she needs. The most severe drugs (like heroin) also produce strong physical effects; such addicts have a withdrawal penalty of -3 to all physical actions in addition to the penalty on mental actions. Unlike some Drawbacks, this problem cannot be overcome easily. Generally, the best a character can hope to do is to deny her craving “one day at a time.” Getting rid of this Drawback should never be a matter of saving up enough points to “buy it off.” Resisting the craving requires a series of daily Willpower (doubled) rolls. The first few rolls suffer no penalty. After a number of days equal to the character’s Willpower have passed, add a penalty equal to the value of the Drawback. If the character blows any of the rolls, she’ll do whatever it takes to get her fix. If no fix is available, she goes through the withdrawal penalties. And so on. Once ten straight days of successful Willpower rolls have passed, the character may lower the Addiction Point Value by one. And it starts all over again. Not a fun situation to be in, but if the struggle to overcome the addiction is roleplayed well, it should earn the character some Drama Points. Addiction Point Value Table Adversary VARIABLE DRAWBACK Your character has pissed someone off. That's an 'I'm going to bury you and your family' kind of hate, not a 'can't we talk this over with Oprah' kind of annoyance. In the world of Angel, Adversaries are an occupational hazard. You just can't kill monsters, counter predators, and let the sun shine on vamps without word getting out, and the bad boys aren't going to take it lying down. The more powerful the Adversary is, the higher the value of this Drawback. Your Director determines if an Adversary is appropriate to the game in question. If the Adversary is unlikely to appear frequently, the point value is going to drop, or it could be disallowed altogether. Sahjhan, for example, is worth zero points as an Adversary after 3.17 Forgiving, since he got all bottled up. Of course, he might get released one of these days and then his value goes up precipitously. Individuals are valued at one to five points as Adversaries, depending on their resources and abilities. A normal person grants one point; a Green Beret or a veteran vampire three points; a 'rip out your innards' demon magician could get up to five. An organization may be worth three to five or more points, depending on its power. A gang of thugs garners two points, the police department of a city three to four points (depending on its size and competence), and a national agency like the CIA five points or more. A large supernatural group like the Wolfram & Hart could give six or more points; that would apply only if the entire agency is after the Cast Member - and your character should probably make sure his life insurance premium is paid up. A good enemy needs a good reason. Your Director can then weave this Adversary into the plot of the Season in any way he sees fit. Alternatively, you can select the Drawback and the value, then leave it to the Director to decide who the Adversary is. That makes it a bit hard to prepare for though. Big-time surprise foes are big-time bad for the digestion. Killing the Adversary is not usually enough to eliminate the Drawback - the Director should see to it that another Adversary of similar value rears its ugly head shortly afterwards. That's the way it works in the show, after all. Your typical Angel Investigations Cast Members should have a minimum Adversary 2, representing the local supernatural community of L.A., most of whom aren't fond of Angel and company. Age 2-POINTS/LEVEL QUALITY Some beings have been around for several life spans; they could be demons, ancient undead, or otherworldy game show hosts. Ancient characters are very powerful, having refined their abilities with centuries of practice. This Quality assumes that the character has some feature, like vampirism, that has allowed her to survive this long (such powers must be purchased separately). Each level of Age adds one century to your character’s life span. Truly ancient supernaturals (a millennium old or older) have ten or so levels of Age, and are extremely powerful. As such, they are not appropriate as Cast Members in most games. The Age Quality only refers to periods during which the character was active. Many supernatural beings have long periods of “down time” when they were in stasis (a fancy term for chillin’ in a big way). If you want to create a character from a truly ancient period, be our guest; add as many levels of Age as you can afford, and consider the rest of the time to be “down time” for whatever reason. The bonuses your character gets are restricted to those levels of Age purchased though. Age gives your character more points to put into skills. Each level of Age grants one point per level of Intelligence to put into skills, to a maximum of four per level. Age is not without its downside though. Over time, enemies and secrets are accumulated, and these always seem to outlast friendships and renown. For each level of Age, the character must take one level of either Adversary or Secret and gains no character points for that disadvantage. Anti-Social Impulses for Demons 1 TO 3-POINT DRAWBACK Demons and other supernatural types don't have the same drives and emotional makeup of humans. They sometimes find it hard to control their primal urges. We're not saying humans are the models of restraint, but poor impulse control is a common supernatural trait, which is probably a sign of most demons' natural evil tendencies. Antisocial Impulses is a Drawback, similar to Mental Problems, and like those Drawbacks it has several levels (1-3). Common types of impulses include the following. Types Deceit Some demons love intrigue the way humans love sex or chocolate-covered cherries. They never miss a chance to plot and manipulate those around them, even their friends and allies. This often happens even when it's not in the demon's best interests. Straightforward plans are never favored; convoluted is definitely the way to go. Where's the glory in simple? Resisting the impulse to lie and manipulate others, or to make a plan less complex than it could be requires a Willpower (doubled) roll with a penalty equal to the level of the Drawback. Violence Your typical berserker type. The critter can't walk away from a fight, and when in doubt, it starts swinging. Whenever a potential confrontation happens, the character has to make a Willpower (doubled) roll with a penalty equal to the level of the Drawback. On a failure, the demon reacts violently. Levels The higher the value of the Mental Problems, the more debilitating it is. Generally, Cast Members should not have Anti-Social Impulses worth over two points, although playing the lunatic can be fun every once in a while. Mild The hang-up is controllable and your character seldom allows the problem to control her during times of crisis, especially when friends and loved ones are involved. People may not even know something is wrong with the character. This is a 1-point Drawback. Severe The problem is severe, and affects your character’s daily life. Anybody who knows the character realizes or strongly suspects that something is wrong with her. This is a 2-point Drawback. Deranged The character is clearly deranged, with no regard for such considerations as the law, the safety of others, or the integrity of her immortal soul (you know, little things like that). That does not mean she is completely berserk. She may control herself out of fear of being stopped or discovered by the law or other major threat, but when no such fear exists, watch out. This is a 3-point Drawback. Armour NPCs Some demons are tougher than others. Demons can have any type of skin, from insectile carapaces to shiny reptilian scales. Most demons will have Armor ranging from 1 to 20, but higher values are possible (especially during climactic Season finales). Artist 2-POINT QUALITY Your character’s an artist, someone unusually talented and creative. Artists end up forming bands that don’t suck (Dingoes Ate My Baby, post sausage-fingers phase), painting masterpieces, writing Great American Novels, and doing other cool stuff like that. Artists get a +1 to any two mental Attributes (Intelligence, Perception, or Willpower); the bonuses cannot be stacked onto one Attribute, and the limit remains six for humans. They also get a +1 to (what else?) the Art skill. Artists tend to be a bit sensitive and emotional, though; they have a -1 penalty to Willpower rolls to resist fear or losing their temper, or otherwise letting their emotions rule. Athlete 4-POINT QUALITY The character is into physical fitness in a big way. He may haunt the local sports bar scene on occasion, but mostly he's a doer not a watcher (he could be a Watcher, but only in the enforcement or covert operations arm). Athletes can be marathon training types, gym rats, keep-it-tight aspiring actresses, or super intense health nuts. They spend much of their free time practicing and working out; this of course leaves little time to devote to the more cerebral aspects of life. Without additional charge or value, Athletes gain +1 to each physical Attribute (to a maximum level of six for humans), two levels of the Sports Skill (and at least one more level must be purchased on top of that), and -1 penalty to all rolls involving intellectual abilities (anything using the Intelligence Attribute, particularly research), except where the Sports Skill is involved. Attractiveness 1-POINT/LEVEL QUALITY OR DRAWBACK This Quality or Drawback determines the character's looks (or lack thereof). The average person has an Attractiveness of zero, but it can range from -5 to +5 in humans. A +1 or +2 make the person stand out in a crowd. At +3 or +4, we are talking model-good looks. At +5, the pulchritude borders on the heart-stopping. On the flip side, at -1 or -2, the person has homely features, or unsightly blemishes or scars. At -3 or -4, the character is downright repulsive. At -5, break out the paper bag - looking at the character is almost painful. Attractiveness higher than +5 or lower than -5 requires some supernatural forces at play. Getting that captivating or that gruesome takes some doing. A positive Attractiveness helps a great deal in most social situations. If your character is 'looking good' enough, a winning smile and the right clothes can get him in to the best Hollywood parties, upstairs at the house of ill repute, or into the wary innocent's good graces. Add your character's Attractiveness bonus to any activity (usually Influence Skill rolls) where persuading people is a factor. Negative attractiveness works the opposite way, except when the purpose is to intimidate someone. The harsher your character looks, the quicker most folks cave to his demands. Ugliness also brings Fear Tests. Attractiveness costs one point per level if bought as a Quality, or adds one point to your character's totals if acquired as a Drawback. After character creation, Attractiveness can change only by events that modify the character's entire appearance, either through scarring or plastic surgery, or by aging oh-so-gracefully (a bit of gray at the temples can be so distinguished; usually not an option for the gals though). 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